The present invention is directed to a secondary feeder mechanism for use in a mail coding system in which each piece of mail is encoded with a bar code signifying its destination so that the letter can be machine sorted for delivery. Included in the system is an encoding desk at which an operator will view each piece of mail and encode the address on the letter by means of a keyboard located at the coding desk. In order to provide maximum efficiency of operation, the coding desk must be continuously supplied with letters to be encoded. In present operations utilizing conventional mail feeders for feeding letters directly to the coding desk, problems have developed in which gaps have occurred in the stream of letters arriving at the coding desk in addition to doubles, that is, one letter stacked behind another letter, thereby preventing the operator from seeing the back letter. Both of these problems prevent the system from operating at an economically feasible rate. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a feeder apparatus which will eliminate the double feed of letters in addition to allowing the letters to be selectively fed to an operating station. Another object of the invention is to provide a feeder apparatus which will level the mail pieces during transporting by said feeder apparatus. It is a further object of this invention to provide a feed mechanism for performing the above-cited function which is simple in operation and structure and therefore low in cost.